| Flood | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover artwork for the CD release | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 January 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989, Skyline Studios, NYC | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 43:24 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | They Might Be Giants Alan Winstanley Clive Langer | |||
| They Might Be Giants chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
Cover of the vinyl LP | ||||
Flood is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. The album was their first release on the major label Elektra Records. It generated three singles: "Birdhouse in Your Soul", "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", and "Twisting"
Background edit
Flood was They Might Be Giants' first release on any major label. Elektra Records approached the band following the major success of their second album, Lincoln, which was released on the independent Bar/None label.[1] Although They Might Be Giants recorded the album as a duo, they were joined by many guest musicians on brass and string instruments. The band also employed Alan Bezozi to programme some of the drums for the album. Bezozi and Flansburgh worked together to create unique drum tracks, including one that samples the sound of Flansburgh's kitchen sink and refrigerator being struck with a drum stick.[2]
Artwork edit
The photograph used for the cover of the album depicts a man rowing a boat made out of strung-together washbasins. The image was captured by Margaret Bourke-White, part of a series taken to document the Ohio River flood of 1937.[3] The cover, which was designed by band member John Flansburgh with Elizabeth van Itallie, originally featured only the photo; however, an emblem including the band's name, inked by Flansburgh 's former coworker Barbara Lipp, was later added.[4] The emblem resembles the logo of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Style edit
Like many of They Might Be Giants' early releases, Flood features a range of stylistic eclecticism. The press release for the album notes the "rock rave-up 'Twisting'...the [country] inflected 'Lucky Ball & Chain'...the existential oom-pah of 'Particle Man'", and "tender night-light metaphor and melody" of the lead single, "Birdhouse in Your Soul".[5] Jon Pareles wrote for The New York Times that the album "shrug[s] off most typecasting". He added that through releases like Flood, TMBG and a new wave of alternative musicians were gainsaying the standard practice of sticking to only one genre.[6]
Promotion edit
Tour edit
In support of Flood, TMBG toured North America and Europe, including a series of shows in Germany. Due to the scale of the tour, the band's road crew doubled in size — increasing from two members to four.[7]
Influence edit
Flood is They Might Be Giants' best-selling album, and it is widely regarded as their most iconic.
Reception edit
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [8] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [9] |
| Q | [10] |
| Robert Christgau |  [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
Flood received generally positive reviews, though some critics expressed reservations. Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that despite some inconsistencies and awkward selections, the album is musically superior to its predecessors. He observed that through Flood, the Johns "exchange quirky artiness for unabashed geekiness". Six of the album's nineteen tracks are designated as Allmusic "picks".[8] Chris Heim wrote for the Chicago Tribune that the album is a rare instance of success for an "quirky cult band" signed to a major label.[9] In a review for Q, Peter Kane lauded the record for its uniqueness and for the sheer quantity of tracks, which he said ensured that the listener would enjoy at least one song.[10]
Conversely, Robert Christgau and Rolling Stone's David Browne found Flood to be unremarkable overall. Both critics chastised the band's novelty, which they found to be wearing thin as time went on.[11][12] On the other hand, in a 2009 Rolling Stone article revisiting Flood near its twentieth anniversary, DX Ferris praised the album as the band's most iconic release, and one that revolutionized the college radio scene.[2]
Commercial response edit
Flood peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200, spending 22 weeks on the chart. The lead single of the album, "Birdhouse in Your Soul", reached number 3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The other single from the album, "Twisting", peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[13] The album also contains two of the band's most well known songs, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" and "Particle Man". The former was released as a single but did not chart in the US.
Flood was the first TMBG album to receive the RIAA's Platinum sales award — indicating sales over one million copies — which it achieved on July 10, 2009.[14]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme From Flood" | 0:28 |
| 2. | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Lucky Ball & Chain" | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" (Jimmy Kennedy, Nat Simon) | 2:38 |
| 5. | "Dead" | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Your Racist Friend" | 2:54 |
| 7. | "Particle Man" | 1:59 |
| 8. | "Twisting" | 1:56 |
| 9. | "We Want a Rock" | 2:47 |
| 10. | "Someone Keeps Moving My Chair" | 2:23 |
| 11. | "Hearing Aid" | 3:26 |
| 12. | "Minimum Wage" | 0:47 |
| 13. | "Letterbox" | 1:25 |
| 14. | "Whistling in the Dark" | 3:25 |
| 15. | "Hot Cha" | 1:34 |
| 16. | "Women & Men" | 1:46 |
| 17. | "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" | 1:36 |
| 18. | "They Might Be Giants" | 2:45 |
| 19. | "Road Movie To Berlin" | 2:22 |
Personnel edit
|
|
References edit
- Reed, S. Alexander; Sandifer, Philip (14 November 2013). They Might Be Giants' Flood. 33⅓. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1623569150.
Notes edit
- ^ Gigantic (A Tale Of Two Johns). Dir. AJ Schnack. 2002. Plexifilm, 2003.
- ^ a b Ferris, DX (09 October 2009). "They Might Be Giants' "Flood": Track by Track Guide to the Geek-Chic Breakthrough". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
- ^ Flansburgh, John; Linnell, John. "Q & A: Flood" (Interview). TMBG.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ Flansburgh, John (2012-05-03). "John Flansburgh: Observer Media" (Interview). Interviewed by Debbie Millman. Design Matters. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
{{cite interview}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "They Might Be Giants: Flood" (Press release). Elektra Records. 1990.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (January 28, 1990). "Mentally Hyperactive and Proud of It". The New York Times.
- ^ Catchpole, Karen (March 1990). "What Do Giants Eat?". Sassy.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Flood - They Might Be Giants". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
- ^ a b Heim, Chris (8 February 1990). "They Might Be Giants Flood (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
- ^ a b Kane, Peter (March 1990). "Daft". Q.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: They Might Be Giants". Consumer Guide. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
- ^ a b Browne, David (22 February 1990). "They Might Be Giants". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
- ^ Billboard single chart history for They Might Be Giants. Billboard. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- ^ RIAA certification database. RIAA. Retrieved 2012-09-10.